book promotion

(Scott Keen is the author of YA fantasy novels Scar of the Downers (WiDo Publishing, 2015) and Rise of the Branded (WiDo Publishing, 2017). He blogs at ScottKeenBooks.com. This post originally appeared on his website and appears here with his permission.)

Recently, I attended the “Ready Set Fun! Bookfest” hosted by the local PBS station. There were lots of children and adults, and many booths. I brought my own children, who loved the afternoon.

​​The turnout was great and I was able to meet a number of nice people. I even sold a few books!

​Each booth was to have games or activities that would engage children. Since my books are fantasy novels, the task of creating activities based on my books seemed daunting. What was I going to do? How would I use it as a tie-in for my novel?

Let’s face it, some of us writers are more secluded, nervous about making eye contact, than others. And that’s fine. We all have our unique powers. But the question that used to get me down is: if I’m not outgoing and smiling and talking to people about my book, how will I sell anything?

So your book is coming out, or it’s out already, and you have heard the success stories about being a great marketer by doing simple things like posting on Facebook, Twitter, or whatever else. You will probably create a website or blog and convince yourself you can be outgoing for a while. And you are; blogging with personality and unleashing your charm on Twitter. But it feels forced. You can’t keep it up forever and those bestseller numbers – or any numbers – just aren’t coming.

Giving away a book can actually increase sales. And an excellent way to give away and get attention for your soon-to-be-launched book is through Goodreads.

A Goodreads giveaway generates excitement about an upcoming book launch. Prior to launch, the typical author is blogging, building relationships with other authors, setting up the blog tour, arranging reviews and blanketing social media with reminders about the release date. The author is definitely excited, but an author needs reader excitement as well. And what piques the avid reader’s interest more than a brand-new, FREE print novel? Go where the readers are to dangle that incentive in front of them. Right now, the gathering place for avid readers is Goodreads.

We all carry an idea of what our book release will look like inside our vivid imaginations. People will be cheering and falling over each other to get to the pile of books. Our names will be plastered on billboards and all over the internet.

We wish! Sometimes being a new writer is hard only because the reality is so different from that dream in our heads. People don’t automatically know we have a book for sale. Getting the word out can be a lot of work. However, there are some things we can do to make our book release amazing. For us and for our readers.

Born in the deep forests of the Northwest, Ilume is a girl of the woods. And of the night. Ilume might be young, she might be recovering from a broken heart, but above all she's a leader. Her pack has always come first. Then, on a rare visit to the human civilization, she meets Jared.Jared Ferlyn...

RT @Copperfields Thank you to everyone who came out last night and donated to the fire relief! Thank you to all of our contributors and @Nick_Offerman for making our silent auction possible. And a special thank you to Rebecca Solnit and Peter Coyote for joining us in support of our community! pic.twitter.com/lSmePwAMUZ

RT @elizfournier After my mother died, I would line up my dolls in toy cars for a pretend funeral procession in the sandbox as an attempt to cope with the dreadful reality of the present. bethfourniergreenreaper.wordp…

RT @elizfournier Fantastic way to build Instant Karma: When you finish reading a book, kindly go to Amazon and post a review. It's easy, painless, and good things will come to you for supporting an author you enjoy. Thank you from all of us. #BookReview#Amazon#amreading